Taking on a perfect subject for her ethereal style of illustration, Demi presents episodes from the life of the possibly mythical philosopher, then adds passages from the world-changing book with which he is associated. The art, all painted within large circles, features a smiling, tubby old man—Lao Tzu is said to have been 81 years old at birth, “with snow-white hair and large ears”—gesturing gracefully at various Taoist figures and symbols, which are interpreted in a key at the end. Demi also offers substantial portions of the Tao Te Ching itself—evidently her own translations, as they’re unsourced—as short passages on topics from “Silence” and “Balance” to “Just Be Ordinary” and even “Governing”: “Governing a large country / is like cooking a small fish. / It can be spoiled with too much poking.” Children too young to absorb the more abstract statements here will enjoy the colorful legends, but Lao Tzu’s teachings about “the virtues of softness and yielding, of innocence and peace” are “great lessons for everyone, anytime, anywhere.” (Biography/Philosophy. 8+)
